2023 Fantasy Football Draft Prep: Chicago Bears player outlooks, projections, schedule, more to know

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The Chicago Bears enter the 2023 season as one of the most intriguing offenses from a Fantasy Football perspective. They banked on giving Justin Fields system continuity and in turn the Bears offer him more weapons at his disposal than he's ever had after trading for receivers D.J. Moore (offseason) and Chase Claypool (before last year's trade deadline). There are weapons in this offense, and an improving (surprisingly) offensive line, but whether this becomes a Fantasy goldmine will come entirely down to Fields' development as a passer. Can he keep a pass game in rhythm? If that answer turns into a yes, this offense will have Fantasy value plays all throughout.

NFC North: Vikings | Lions | Packers

Below the CBS Sports Fantasy staff will take a look into the Bears' entire team outlook, including a burning question for Fantasy Football managers that needs to be answered, key player projections, a review of their draft class, strength of schedule, and individual player outlooks for notable Bears players who may end up on your Fantasy rosters.

Bears 2023 team outlook

By Chris Towers

The Bears had a chance to move on from Justin Fields when they earned the No. 1 pick, but they showed their confidence in Fields by trading it away. They're going to give Fields a real opportunity to prove he can be a franchise QB, and that's a very exciting possibility for Fantasy players.

Burning question: Can Fields make a leap as a passer?

It's hard to be more productive as a runner than Fields was last season, as he finished with the second most yards ever by a QB. He was an excellent Fantasy QB as a result, putting up 25-plus Fantasy points in six of his final nine games. Now, with D.J. Moore added and a full season from Darnell Mooney and Chase Claypool, he has to take a step forward as a passer. If he does, he's a top-five QB for Fantasy and the long-term answer for the Bears. If not, well, they might be looking for their franchise QB again next offseason.

Bears player projections

Pos	Player	Projection
QB	Justin Fields	PA: 461, YD: 3225, TD: 21, INT: 12; RUSH -- ATT: 149, YD: 820, TD: 8
RB	D'Onta Foreman	CAR: 124, YD: 497, TD: 5; TAR: 23, REC: 18, YD: 138, TD: 1
RB	Khalil Herbert	CAR: 174, YD: 765, TD: 5; TAR: 37, REC: 30, YD: 236, TD: 1
WR	Roschon Johnson	CAR: 50, YD: 199, TD: 2; TAR: 9, REC: 7, YD: 590
WR	D.J. Moore	TAR: 124, REC: 75, YD: 985, TD: 6
WR	Darnell Mooney	TAR: 83, REC: 54, YD: 669, TD: 4
WR	Chase Claypool	TAR: 78, REC: 48, YD: 550, TD: 4
TE	Cole Kmet	TAR: 74, REC: 52, YD: 568, TD: 3

2023 NFL Draft class

1. (10) Darnell Wright, OL
2. (53) Gervon Dexter Sr., DL
2. (56) Tyrique Stevenson, CB
3. (64) Zacch Pickens, DL
4. (115) Roschon Johnson, RB
4. (133) Tyler Scott, WR
5. (148) Noah Sewell, LB
5. (165) Terell Smith, DB
7. (218) Travis Bell, DL
7. (258) Kendall Williamson, SAF

Strength of Schedule rankings by Dave Richard

QB PSoS: 11th easiest
RB PSoS: 2nd easiest
WR PSoS: 8th easiest
TE PSoS: 18th easiest

WK	DATE	OPP	TIME	TV	VENUE
1	Sep 10, 2023	vsGreen Bay	4:25 pm	FOX	Soldier Field
2	Sep 17, 2023	@Tampa Bay	1:00 pm	FOX	Raymond James Stadium
3	Sep 24, 2023	@Kansas City	4:25 pm	FOX	GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium
4	Oct 1, 2023	vsDenver	1:00 pm		Soldier Field
5	Oct 5, 2023	@Washington	8:15 pm	AMZN	FedEx Field
6	Oct 15, 2023	vsMinnesota	1:00 pm	FOX	Soldier Field
7	Oct 22, 2023	vsLas Vegas	1:00 pm	FOX	Soldier Field
8	Oct 29, 2023	@L.A. Chargers	8:20 pm	NBC	SoFi Stadium
9	Nov 5, 2023	@New Orleans	1:00 pm		Caesars Superdome
10	Nov 9, 2023	vsCarolina	8:15 pm	AMZN	Soldier Field
11	Nov 19, 2023	@Detroit	1:00 pm	FOX	Ford Field
12	Nov 27, 2023	@Minnesota	8:15 pm	ESPN	U.S. Bank Stadium
13	—	BYE	—	—	—
14	Dec 10, 2023	vsDetroit	1:00 pm	FOX	Soldier Field
15	Dec 17, 2023	@Cleveland	TBA	—	Cleveland Browns Stadium
16	Dec 24, 2023	vsArizona	4:25 pm	FOX	Soldier Field
17	Dec 31, 2023	vsAtlanta	1:00 pm		Soldier Field
18	Jan 7, 2024	@Green Bay	TBA	—	Lambeau Field

Bears 2023 player outlooks

By Dave Richard unless otherwise noted

QB Justin Fields

We already know Fields' rushing skills make him a potential top-five Fantasy quarterback, but if his passing game improves, he has a shot to be the highest-scoring quarterback in Fantasy.

Following the mold of the Bills and Eagles, the Bears acquired high-profile receiver D.J. Moore to provide a reliable target for an improved Fields. Moore will help in problem areas like third downs and intermediate pass completions, but Fields simply has to be a better thrower. Last season, 48.4% of his Fantasy points from his breakout Week 5 through the end of the year came on his rushing stats alone. That number seems tough to replicate, so if Fields doesn't make strides throwing the ball, he'll disappoint. But if he does improve, the gamble of taking him as the fifth or sixth quarterback off the board will pay off in spades.

Expect Fields to be a top-eight pick in Superflex/two-QB leagues and a Round 3 or 4 choice in one-QB formats.

RB Khalil Herbert

Herbert is a breakout candidate based on his unique skill set and possible (if not likely) lead role in the Bears run game.

Statistically, Herbert was actually top 10 among qualified RBs in yards per carry, yards before and after contact per rush, explosive run rate and avoided tackle rate. The guy can move, and while he's not a dynamic pass catcher or physical bowling ball, he is very capable of making the most out of limited touches. In eight career games with at least 12 carries, he's had at least 10 PPR points six times and 15-plus five times. He'll be helped greatly by sharing touches with quarterback Justin Fields (it'll drive defenses crazy), plus the Bears offensive line may finally be a strength.

Herbert is a Round 7 or 8 value pick since he has potential for plenty of yardage and a handful of touchdowns.

RB Roschon Johnson

Johnson not only has appeal as a punishing rusher who bulldozed through SEC defenses, but also as a pass catcher.

He's kind of like David Montgomery in that regard, but it's unlikely he'll begin the year working in a role similar to that of Montgomery. The Bears coaching staff seems focused on using two backs in a tandem, something Johnson was sort of used to at Texas behind Bijan Robinson. In time, he might overtake both Khalil Herbert and D'Onta Foreman to be the Bears' lead back, but it might be in 2024.

That's why Johnson is just a depth RB in Fantasy for 2023 (Round 10 feels about right), but carries value between 15th and 22nd overall in rookie-only Dynasty drafts.

RB D'Onta Foreman

Foreman parlayed an impressive stretch with the Titans into an even more impressive 2022 season with the Panthers, and now he lands in Chicago, where he'll have legitimate competition for touches. The Bears bring back veteran Khalil Herbert, who was uber productive on a per-touch basis in 2022, and they drafted Roschon Johnson. If Foreman can earn the definitive short-yardage and red-zone role, in addition to the early down role, he would return certain value in standard scoring formats as a 12th-round pick.

WR D.J. Moore

Moore failed to live up to his Fantasy hype in 2022 and even finished outside the WR2 range (WR33 overall) while dealing with arguably the worst quarterback play of his career.

You can look no further than Moore's catchable target rate (90th-best) to know what kind of quarterback play he dealt with last season from Baker Mayfield to Sam Darnold. However, there is no certainty he'll get a major upgrade with Justin Fields. It remains to be seen whether Fields can take a big jump as a passer, and these two will have to build rapport from scratch. Even then, Chicago figures to be a run-first offense. It will be very important to monitor how fast Fields and Moore get on the same page in camp.

If they can develop chemistry early, Moore could emerge as a high-end WR2 and pay off in Rounds 4-5.

WR Darnell Mooney

Mooney couldn't quite hang in there as the Bears' No. 1 receiver. He won't have to be that anymore after the team acquired D.J. Moore this offseason.

It means Mooney will likely take a back seat to Moore in targets, but he could still get around five per game. Mooney has averaged more than that over the balance of his career and it hasn't helped him ever -- his career-high Fantasy point average is 12.3 in 2021, when he was Chicago's top receiver. Stuck behind Moore in an offense that won't be pass-heavy, Mooney feels destined for Fantasy benches with only occasional big-time games.

At best he's a late-round pick who you might part ways with after a month.

WR Chase Claypool

After breaking out for 11 touchdowns as a rookie, Claypool has totaled three scores with an average of 3.5 catches per game over the last two years.

It was even worse in seven games with the Bears last season, getting a cool 2.0 grabs per outing (many of which without Darnell Mooney playing). Since then the Bears added D.J. Moore, all but eliminating Claypool as the team's possible go-to receiver. Claypool's past performance as a plus-size receiver is literally the only reason to even think about taking him in drafts. It certainly isn't his recent play, nor is it Chicago's offense, which isn't expected to become pass-heavy.

Late-round picks can be better spent than on Claypool this summer.

WR Tyler Scott

Remember Johnny Knox? Leanish speedy receiver? We're not saying Scott is exactly like Knox, but his good speed and quickness gives him a shot to be a part of the passing game as a complementary option. At Cincinnati, the rookie 5-foot-10 wideout did a great job getting open, which helped him land 16.9 yards per grab over his past two seasons. He also scored 14 times in his past 25.

Scott will never be a big receiver and has to get by on his small size. It keeps his profile from being great, which is why he's not worth drafting in seasonal leagues nor worth taking before 40th overall in rookie-only drafts.

TE Cole Kmet

Even with a 22.5% target share last year, Kmet finished 16th among tight ends in PPR points per game (8.7).

Half of his six games with 10-plus PPR last season came with Darnell Mooney sidelined, and nearly 30% of his PPR Fantasy points were scored by touchdowns. That's more than enough to call him a TD-reliant player, particularly on a Bears squad that added D.J. Moore and Robert Tonyan to its receiving group, further minimizing Kmet's opportunities including in the red zone. Challenging early-season matchups further cloud Kmet's potential.

You might be best to avoid Kmet in drafts and instead pick him up off waivers in the event he's more productive than expected.

K Cairo Santos

Santos averaged 6.5 Fantasy points per game last year and 6.2 the year before that. It's not necessarily a byproduct of his talent, more like an indicator of how weak the Bears offense was at giving Santos field-goal tries. Their upgraded offense should push Santos to an extra point per week, but it's still not enough to make him a reliable weekly Fantasy kicker. He might have some upside weeks during the year, at which point you can claim him off waivers.

Bears DST

Like their offense, the Bears defense definitely made some moves this offseason, but this side of the ball leaves something to be desired. The pass rush, which amassed just 20 sacks last season, went unimproved through the spring. If the Bears can't get to the quarterback, they'll eventually struggle, but their talent beyond the D-line may not be to blame. Linebackers Tremaine Edmunds and T.J. Edwards should shore up the run defense and pass coverage while the secondary, while still young, has promise to improve. The best move is to wait and see if the Bears DST exceeds expectations before putting them on your roster -- by comparison, the Packers DST is a much better late-round dart throw.